


Demons

by halfwit



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brotherly Love, Demon Deals, Desperate Sam, Desperation, Gen, Good Brother Sam, It is very different from what I usually write, Major character death - Freeform, Mark of Cain, My vision of what how I see Season 10 ending, No Slash, Open Ending, POV Sam Winchester, Protective Dean, Protective Sam, Resigned Dean, Sam's decisions have bad consequences, Somewhat Ambiguous Ending, i am not sure how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 15:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3452948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwit/pseuds/halfwit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean are desperately trying to find a way to get rid of the Mark of Cain. Each path they have tried has led to failure. Sam finds an obscure book in the bunker that may provide a chance for him to save his brother; however, the consequences may not be what Sam was expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Demons

**Author's Note:**

> This idea took root a couple of days ago. After I saw the names of the last episodes for Season 10, it was something that just wouldn't let me sleep. It is very different from what I have been writing recently, as I usually don't write in the the show's universe, but I wanted to give it a shot.

Sam Winchester was growing desperate. For the past several months, he had thrown himself into research trying everything he could to find a way to save his older brother, Dean, from the effects of the Mark of Cain. Despite hours of combing the Men of Letters’ extensive library and catacombs, the Winchester brothers were no closer to finding a way to remove the Mark.

Dean was valiantly battling the call of Cain’s curse, but Sam watched in horror as each day found the eldest Winchester succombing a little more. Dean was losing his battle and there wasn’t a damn thing Sam had been able to find to save him.

Running his hands agitatedly through his shoulder length hair, Sam groaned in frustration. Research was his forte and the Mark of Cain is one of the oldest demonic symbols in history, surely there had to be an answer he was missing.

Pushing away from his research table, Sam stood to stretch. He had folded his giant six-foot-five frame into that uncomfortable chair for five hours on end. He was growing more and more frantic to find a way to save his brother; he wouldn’t let Dean down again. Dean always had been the one to sacrifice everything to save Sam - this time,it was going to be Sam to find an answer. He wouldn’t let Dean down again.

Lost in his own thoughts, Sam didn’t even realize he had ambled into the kitchen until he found himself staring at a mountain of food sitting on the counter. One of the more recent effects of the Mark, since Dean’s demon cure, was that the older man was constantly hungry. Sam tended to believe his brother substituted using food and physical hunger to calm the throb of the Mark for something darker.

“Hey ya, Sammy,” Dean greeted, voice a little over cheerful. It was something he had started doing after his last fight with Cain. Sam knew his brother was terrified, but he was trying to hide behind a sense of normalcy to keep Sam at ease - little did Dean know it actually had to opposite effect.

“Morning,” Sam grunted in response. He was too tired to pretend everything was okay.

Dean turned back toward the stove where he was whipping up some of his special burgers.

“Morning?” Dean queried back. “Dude, I think you are getting even less sleep than me. It’s like three in the afternoon. Did you even make it to bed last night?”

Sam checked the watch on his wrist and was surprised to see Dean had been telling the truth, it really was three o’clock. Where did the time go? What was he doing wasting precious moments standing around in the kitchen, there was work to be done. He almost lost Dean when the green-eyed Winchester confronted Cain. Sam hadn’t been on board with the whole Dean fights Knight of Hell and Father of Murder bout, but he acquiesced for his brother’s sake. Now that Cain’s blood still was fresh on his hands, it was even more imperative to destroy the Mark. They didn’t have time to eat.

Turning to flee the kitchen in favor of his research table, Sam felt a solid hand clap on his shoulder; the pressure was just enough to make him pause, but wasn’t firm enough to hold him against his will.

“Sam, we aren’t going to solve anything if you end up putting yourself in a hospital,” Dean admitted, voice somewhat gentler than usual. This was the voice Sam remembered from his childhood, this was Dean as caretaker, and it was breaking Sam’s heart.

“How about you sit down and have a little lunch,” Dean prodded, gently maneuvering Sam to the kitchen table. Dean never forced his brother to move, just exerted a small amount of touch to guide. “Then, after we finish up we can get back to staring at the mountains of useless books from long dead people.”

Nodding mindlessly, Sam allowed Dean to take control. Before long, he had a plate full of delicious smelling food in front of him. One of the great surprises to the younger Winchester since discovering the bunker was learning that Dean really knew how to cook. They didn’t often get a chance to have a meal, uninterrupted, but on those days they did, Dean always made sure to prepare something hearty and satisfying. He also made sure there usually was a vegetable or a salad, in deference to Sam’s “rabbit food.”

The pair at in silence for several minutes before Dean addressed the elephant in the room.

“Any luck?” he asked, reaching across the table to snag another pile of fresh-cut fries from his brother’s plate.

“Nah,” Sam said, wearily. “I think I actually started looking back over books we discounted weeks ago. Everything is starting to blur together a little.”

Dean chewed thoughtfully as he considered the implications of Sam’s words. He knew his little brother wasn’t going to quit this time, but it made Dean worry exactly how far Sam was going to be willing to take this. A driven Sam was often a reckless Sam, and a reckless Sam scared the life out of Dean. He wouldn’t be responsible for his brother’s demise.

“Yeah,” Dean responded in the end, pushing the darker thoughts to the side for now. “Talked to Cas earlier and he said there’s not much new the God Squad has been able to find out. Metadouche ain’t talking after our last chat, and that’s the last hope we really have. How the hell is this our lives when we are pinning our last hopes on that jackass?”

Sam didn’t respond. He knew his brother was trying to keep things light, but the weight of the situation weighed on them all. None of them knew how long Dean would be able to keep it together; how long he would be able to resist the siren call of the Mark’s bloodlust. They all knew that when - not if, they all knew it was just a matter of time - Dean finally broke there would be no pulling him back from the effects. Sam saw the uneasiness that would cloud his brother’s hazel-green gaze. Sam was smart: He knew something transpired between Dean and Cain that night, something that spooked Dean so much that he was hiding behind false optimism.

“We’ll figure it out, Dean,” Sam said, a ready refrain often repeated since Cain’s death. “We always do.”

Dean smiled wanly at his brother, appreciating the obvious platitude.

“Adding to our worries, as if we don’t have enough already,” Dean said, gathering their plates to put in the sink. “Cas said he is starting to feel a little - shall we say under the weather.”

Sam’s head jerked up at the implied meaning. This couldn’t be happening, not when they most needed angelic assistance. Castiel’s restored grace was burning out again. Both Winchesters knew the fallen angel would not consent to stealing a third angel’s grace to prolong his existence; so, Castiel’s assistance would be much more limited. Great! Just what they needed.

Madder than he’d allowed himself to be in weeks, Sam stood up forcefully from the table, his movements knocking his chair onto the floor. Dean looked up, wary expression on his face. He didn’t want to fight. They had only a limited amount of time together, it shouldn’t be spent in ways they later would regret.

“I’m going to lay down for a bit,” Sam lied, walking toward the doorway. “You’re right, Dean, we need to both keep our strength up to be able to win this one.”

“Atta boy, Sam,” Dean said, a ghost of his signature smirk on his face. “Go catch some zzzz’s and I’ll try to see if I can find something hidden we might have missed.”

Sam nodded his assent and made his way back to his room. He didn’t have much in terms of decoration on the slate gray walls. Much of the room was the same as it had been when they moved in. Whereas Dean was overjoyed with a space to call his own and eagerly took to calling the Bunker home, Sam felt no such ties to the space. The only evidence the room was occupied was a messed up bed, covers pooled and wrinkled because Sam had not made the bed in his haste to continue research, and mountains of books containing volumes of lore on Cain and his Mark.

Locking the door to give himself added privacy- not that Dean couldn’t pick the lock, it just would make it a little more noticeable if he did - Sam reached under his mattress to pull out a slim volume he found the day before.

The brothers had combed all of the Men of Letters’ archives for information on Dean’s curse. Much of the information was useless, until Cain transferred the power to Dean, it seems as though no one thought it was possible, more legend than fact. Leave it to Dean to stumble into something so unusual. His brother always did like to do things the hard way.

Yesterday, however, Sam had been in the bunker’s bowels, and he found himself in an area he had not previously explored. Running his hands over the tomes, he realized this was an area the Men of Letters would have wanted guarded at all costs, which explained why it was so difficult to locate. This is where they kept the darkest and blackest of the supernatural objects they had found.

Sam didn’t care any more; he was tired of trying to do the right thing. He had done this to Dean. His anger and hurtful words had separated the brothers, and alone they always ended up making stupid decisions. Dean had said once they were stronger together because they kept each other human, and Sam knew he was right. It was Sam’s careless words and Dean’s consuming guilt that led them to this point; and by God, Sam was going to do whatever he could to get his brother back. He wasn’t going to lose him to be Crowley’s bitch again.

Secure that he would be uninterrupted for the time, Sam began reading the book in front of him. It was written by Stella Mattina, one of the rare Women of Letters. The thesis talked about many early Biblical stories and their supernatural implications. There wasn’t much Sam found useful to his current state, and he almost was ready to discard it as another loose end, when the names Cain and Abel popped out at him like a beacon.

_“It is believed that Cain did not slay his brother, Abel, because of jealousy,” Mattina wrote. “Cain was the older brother who believed it to be his duty to save his sibling at all costs, even at the risk of his own soul. When Cain realized his brother was speaking to Lucifer, instead of to God, Cain sacrificed himself and made a deal - the first recorded demon deal in history. Cain agreed to willingly serve Lucifer and become his Knight of Hell, to spare his brother’s eternal soul.”_

So far this was nothing that Sam and Dean didn’t already know. Cain had told them much of this story himself. But, Sam had to keep reading. This was the most information he had seen on the story in days, and he found himself holding his breath, believing this Stella Mattina might actually have an answer.

_ “Lucifer had love for both Cain and Abel, and agreed to allow the older brother to exchange himself for the younger, as long as Cain agreed to slaughter his own blood. With a heavy heart, Cain agreed, knowing he would live with the guilt and have the burden of his actions upon his shoulders for eternity. _

_ “Cain was branded as Lucifer’s second-in-command; his Knight of Hell. The Mark was given to show his loyalty to his new master, and a way to protect the new demon from outside forces. Whoever inflicts pain on the bearer of the Mark will receive back sevenfold of pain and torture. _

_“With a heavy heart, Cain followed Lucifer’s orders and slayed his brother, burying his body in the fertile soil. Cain accepted the mantle of the first murderer and with his brother no longer tethering him to humanity, he embraced the darkness and followed Lucifer’s orders._

_ “Lucifer made it that if there was one worthy, they could bear the Mark of Cain by transference. The bearer would have similar powers to that of Cain, but would not be identical, as it would be a copy of the Mark. From interviewing people who allegedly spoke with Cain himself, it is believed that if the original bearer of the Mark (Cain) was destroyed by his own blade, the subsequent bearers of his Mark would be vulnerable. _

_ “If a sibling would offer to severe the Mark from the recipient’s body, and agree to suffer their fate and serve Lucifer, the bearer would be free.” _

Sam blinked, stunned by what he read. If he understood this correctly, he could save Dean. The idea took root rapidly in his brain and drowned out all his reasoning and fears. The author went on to explain the process would not be easy, and was so improbable that many believed it to be a demonic fable. Sam would have to purposefully summon Lucifer, confronting the fallen angel who almost had destroyed him and who had tormented him for months. He would have to agree to serve Lucifer and then sever the Mark from Dean. His brother would be cured.

Rationally Sam knew there were downsides to this. Heck, freeing Lucifer from the Cage was not the smartest idea he’d ever heard; but, the Devil’s Trap in the dungeon was strong, it should be able to hold him from doing anything. And anyhow, if Sam was able to push Lucifer to the side to put him in the pit; he was strong enough with the added motivation of saving Dean, to do it again. If that meant Sam had to return to the Cage for eternity, it was a price he was willing to pay. Dean had sacrificed so much for him over the years, it was time for Sam to return the favor.

Reading what he would need to complete the ritual, Sam began to set his plan in motion.

The first thing he would need was to get Dean away from the Bunker. That was easy. Sam bided his time and waited until they were running low on all their supplies, and he set his plan into action.

“Dean?” Sam called out, looking for his brother and finding him in the garage tending to his beautiful Baby.

“‘Sup Sam?” Dean replied amiably.

“I think we need to do a supply run,” Sam said, yawning widely, hoping it didn’t seem too forced. “We’re out of just about everything, and I think I just used the last of the coffee.”

Dean’s face fell almost comically. Sam knew how much his brother loved having fresh coffee throughout the day; it was one of the few things - aside from pie - that still gave the older Winchester pleasure.

“Alright,” Dean grumbled, grabbing a rag from his pocket and wiping the excess grease from his hands. “You look dead on your feet. You go get some rest and I’ll make the long ass drive into town to pick up provisions. You gotta list for me?”

Sam barely tamped down the grin that threatened to swamp his face. This was easier than he imagined.

“Yep,” he said, trying to mumble and seem more tired than he actually was.

Dean took the list and his eyes widened in shock. “Dude, seriously? Do we really need all of this?”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve stocked up. I guess we’ve been a little preoccupied,” Sam said, trying to look sheepish.

“You gonna be okay while I’m gone?” Dean asked, ever the big brother, the protector.

“Yes, I’ll be fine, Mom,” Sam joked. “I’ll probably be asleep the whole time anyway.”

“Alright,” Dean repeated, pulling his keys out of his pocket and gracefully entering the gleaming Impala. “See you in a few hours. Text me if you need anything else.”

Sam gave his brother a thumbs up in acknowledgment and pretended to stumble out of the garage, trying to keep his pace slow and even, not letting his growing nerves and adrenaline become too evident. If he rushed this, if he looked too eager to have Dean out of the Bunker, it would look suspicious. He didn’t want anything getting in the way of his plans to save his brother.

 

*****

Six hours later, the Impala rumbled back into her usual spot in the garage. Dean was annoyed. He hated going on these massive shopping trips, especially alone, especially now with the Mark of Cain in the forefront of his mind. He was worried there would be something that would happen that would make him finally snap and he would end up going thermonuclear and wiping out innocent lives.

Back within the safety of the Bunker, Dean felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. The Mark throbbed insistently against his shirt, demanding that he give in to its thrall. Dean wasn’t going to let that happen. He talked to Cas while he was away from the oversensitive ears of his little brother, and again made the angel promise to kill him when the time came. They both knew that time was growing nearer because of Castiel’s fading grace. The seraph would need remnants of his angelic powers to be able to destroy Dean and the Mark; they just needed to make sure there was no other alternative before pulling the trigger, so to speak.

Hauling the bags loaded with provisions into the Bunker, Dean went to call for Sam, when the bitter, acrid smell of sulfur assaulted his nostrils.

“What the hell?” Dean mused out loud. Nothing demonic should be able to penetrate the Bunker - it was a fortress against agents of the Supernatural.

“Heya Dean,” a low voice rumbled directly behind him.

Dean spun around and found himself face to face with his brother, but something was wrong.

“Sammy?” Dean queried, and before he could move he found himself pinned against the wall, bound by demonic strength. “Not Sammy.”

The demon wearing Sam smiled ferally at the older Winchester. Dean struggled against his unseens bonds trying to get free. What could have gotten the jump on them? What could have gotten the jump on Sam? It must have happened while his brother was sleeping.

“You know Dean, I have waited years for this moment,” not-Sam said, stalking Dean like a predator. It was only then that Dean saw a fierce looking blade in his brother’s long-fingered grasp. The First Blade - the only thing that truly could kill the bearer of the Mark of Cain.

“For years, I suffered trapped in the Pit, wondering if perhaps I had been wrong, if perhaps I had truly miscalculated what Fate always intended to be,” Not-Sam continued to muse. It was so disconcerting to Dean to hear his brother’s voice, but know these were not his thoughts. It wasn’t the first time he had seen his brother possessed, but it still didn’t make it any easier.

“And then, to my surprise, I am yanked out of perdition and brought here, just when I started to give up hope,” Sam continued. “In the end, it turns out my prophecy was correct. I told you once years before that you could not avoid this, that we would always end up here.”

Dean’s blood froze and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. it couldn’t be. There was no way it was possible.

“ _Lucifer_?!” Dean breathed in disbelief.

“In the flesh,” came the dry response, a serene smile quirking the corners of his brother’s lips.

“You let Sam alone,” Dean roared, concern for his brother taking over all other reason. “Sammy? Can you hear me? Sammy fight him. C’mon man, don’t do this.”

Lucifer chuckled darkly. “I didn’t do anything, and Sam will not fight me. He invited me here. He willingly said ‘yes’.”

Dean was struck dumb with disbelief. This had to be some sort of trick. “You’re lying,” Dean said, voice weakened by his own doubts.

Tch-tch. Lucifer clucked against his teeth. “You know that I cannot lie. In all of your interactions with me, I have never been anything but one hundred percent honest with you. I’m not going to start now.”

“Sam!” Dean tried again, desperate for his brother to break Satan’s control.

“I’m sorry Dean,” Lucifer replied, genuine sympathy seeming to lace his tone. “This time Sam isn’t trying to fight off my control. He gave himself over freely to me, to save you.”

“Why?” Dean asked, self-loathing and shame weighing down on him by the ton. He had failed his brother. He had failed his father. John Winchester always urged his oldest son to look after Sammy, and Dean failed spectacularly, as he did at all things.

“Oh Dean,” Lucifer said somewhat fondly, “there was nothing you could have done. I actually forgot all about that book I wrote.”

“What book?” Dean asked. This conversation was making no sense. He didn’t know if his wits were addled because of the Mark, or if it was because of seeing Lucifer possessing his brother again, but he was beyond confused. “What are you talking about, you bastard.”

“Oh my poor Dean,” the demon wearing Sam enthused. “He really did keep you in the dark.”

More than anything Lucifer said in the past few moments, that comment hurt. Sure, he and Sam had kept secrets from each other in the past - to disastrous consequences - but they swore when trying to reverse the Mark of Cain they would not withhold anything from the other. Obviously that was a lie. Not that Dean was exactly innocent either, what with his and Cas’ smiting pact and all.

“Years ago, I wrote a book with the ‘true’ stories of the Bible,” Lucifer said, leaning against the kitchen counter with casual grace. “I wrote it under a pseudonym and left it for the Men of Letters to find. I’m surprised none of those large brains were able to figure out that Stella Mattina was basically Italian for Morning Star.

“Anyways, I left the book for those learned men to find, and they must have thought it was too dark to leave in their regular library, so they buried it deep in the bowels. Sam stumbled upon it about a week ago, and immediately was drawn to the section on Cain and Abel, for obvious reasons.”

Dean sucked in a breath - this wasn’t good. Lucifer’s invisible bonds had him tightly bound to the wall, no amount of struggling was getting him free, and there was no way he thought he would be able to get through to Sam.

“So, Sam waited until you would be out of the Bunker, and then he summoned me,” a strange gleam of pride seemed to illuminate Sam-no Lucifer’ s amber gaze. “I told him that to save you from the Mark, he would need to say yes to me. He would need to allow me to possess him and fulfill his destiny as my one true vessel.”

Dean felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t want to betray his weakness to Lucifer.

“Sam wouldn’t…” Dean began. He was cut off with an incredulous glare from Lucifer.

“Your brother felt there were no other options,” Sam-no Lucifer continued. “He extracted promises from me, and I vowed to keep my word - I am an angel, after all.”

“I’m going to enjoy killing you with my bare hands,” Dean growled, animalistic nature taking over his more logical brain functions. This is what Dean had railed against for years - they were Team Free Will, they didn’t believe in this destiny crap.

Speaking of Team Free Will. “Castiel. Castiel, I am praying to you man. I need you to come to the Bunker now. It’s Lucifer, he’s back, and he’s possessing Sammy.”

“Now, Dean,” Lucifer admonished, much as a parent might do to an errant child. “How stupid do you think I am?”

“Pretty damn,” Dean snarked back, fearing where this was heading.

“I’ve made sure that none of my brothers and sisters will be able to enter this fortress,” Lucifer said, confirming Dean’s worst nightmares. “No one will be able to hear your prayers, except for me.”

“Now what,” Dean demanded. “You finally got yourself the meatsuit you always wanted, what are you going to do now, go to Disney Land?”

Smiling at his brother’s vessel’s bravery, Lucifer raised the First Blade into Dean’s line of sight again.

“No, my dear boy,” he said, almost gently. “I am going to do exactly what I promised Sam I would do. I am going to set you free.”

Dean didn’t have more than an instant to process what that might mean before he watched Lucifer, watched his brother, plunge the First Blade deep into Dean’s heart and twist so the wound would not be able to try to heal.

“I’m so sorry, Dean,” Lucifer - no Sam - no Lucifer, said. “It was always meant to end like this.”

Released of his bonds, Dean fell to the floor, blood pouring out of the open wound like a river. The older Winchester could feel himself letting go, feel his life ebbing from his body. He needed to say something; he couldn’t let it end like this.

“Sam,” Dean forced out, blood spattering from his lips as he fumbled to speak through the pain. “Sammy?”

The unwavering gaze in front of him did not flicker. He still was speaking to Lucifer.

“It’s okay, Sammy,” Dean continued, hoping something would get through to his brother. “I’m here Sammy. I’m proud of you.”

Those words seem to pierce the haze a little. For a brief moment, Dean thought he saw a softening of his brother’s forehead - evidence of a struggle within between Sam and Lucifer.

“It’s okay,” Dean repeated, determined for his brother to hear this, if nothing else. “I forgive you.”

“Dean?” that was Sam’s voice struggling through.

“I forgive you,” Dean said again. “I love you.”

“I’m so sorry Dean,” Sam replied, breaking through Lucifer’s control. “This was the only way I could think to save you. He told me it will save you. That you won’t go back to Hell, not Purgatory either.”

“It’s okay, Sammy,” Dean said, voice and strength fading. It wouldn’t be long now. “I understand.”

“You’ll be happy now. I can finally save you for once,” Sam said, tears beginning to trek down his cheeks.

“You did it, Sam,” Dean tried to encourage. “But, you have to send him back. He can’t start the Apocalypse, not after everything.”

“I’ve got him Dean,” Sam assured. “I know what I’m doing.”

Dean let his own tears flow unbridled. “I would give anything so that you didn’t have to do this again, so I could save you.”

“You already have, Dean, a million times over.”

Dean’s vision started to cloud over, he barely had the strength to keep his eyes open.

“Love you...bitch.”

“Love you, too...jerk.”

With that, Dean Winchester, hunter extraordinaire, the Righteous Man, the Michael Sword, bearer of the Mark of Cain was no more, slain by his brother who made a deal to sell his soul to Lucifer so that his brother would have a chance at happiness in Heaven.

Cain and Abel’s legacy had come full circle.

 

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, sorry for the feels. I wasn't sure until the very end if I was going to kill Dean or not. I tried to leave the ending somewhat open as to what will happen with Sam now that Lucifer is back - if Sam will be able to send him back to the Pit or if Lucifer is back to stay. Also, I didn't expect it to be quite as long as it turned out, but it seemed like once i got started, there was no stopping it.
> 
> I would love to know what you think, especially because this is so different for me. Please let me know your thoughts. Love it? Hate It? Are you still speaking to me because I killed our beautiful Dean (again)? I love to hear from you. Thank you all for your support and for taking the time to read my (not so little) story.


End file.
